Happenstance Meetings
by RosieRhine
Summary: Voyager encounters an alien ship filled with species they've never seen before - and one young human woman. Not your typical "21st Century girl in the 24th Century" story. What is Anna doing aboard an alien vessel and how did she get there? Please R/R.
1. Chapter 1: Introductions

Author's Note: this is the first fanfiction I've ever published. I think I could expand on the exposition and descriptions more but this story has been floating in my head for months and I just really needed to get it started and on paper so to speak. All Star Trek characters belong to Paramount, all original characters belong to me. Enjoy.

ONE

2019 – Blue Ridge Parkway

She'd left her home of fifteen years and struck out on her own. Here she was, moving two states away for a new job, twenty-eight years old, so excited for her new chapter she could hardly stand it. Her windshield wipers moved to the beat of whatever song was on, although she was hardly paying attention to it. The road was windy, and it was raining, and she had lots on her mind. Lots of hope, and dreams for her new future.

She was not prepared for how sharp the turn was, or how the U-Haul should have been going much slower on that wet road. The world literally flipped upside down as the truck careened off the cliff, crashing into trees and tumbling down. As she held on for dear life, she knew it was the end. She prayed, and braced herself. The truck was flying through the air, and her with it. And then…it wasn't.

2379 – Delta Quadrant

Captain Kathryn Janeway of the USS Voyager sat in her command chair, mindlessly tapping her fingers on her armrest. Things had been slow lately. Not many new planets or species to explore and encounter. No unusual nebulae or star systems. The Intrepid-class starship was cruising along on its long journey back toward the Alpha Quadrant.

Janeway stood and stretched, glancing at her first officer out of the corner of her eye. Chakotay looked as bored as she felt, as he sat pretending to read a personnel report.

_I'd hate to say it_, she thought to herself as she headed toward her ready room for a fresh mug of coffee, _but we could use a little something to shake us up_. But as she walked back out onto the bridge, sipping her coffee, she noticed that Tuvok seemed very interested in his console…

"See something out there, Tuvok?" He raised an eyebrow in response. "I am detecting a ship on long range sensors, however its warp signature and form are unlike any I have ever seen before." He tapped the console a few more times. "They are not headed straight for us but they have likely picked us up on their scanners by now…they are now headed on an intercept course."

"On screen," Janeway commanded as she strode back to her captain's chair and the viewscreen came to life. It was, truly, unlike any ship they'd ever seen. It was about three times larger than _Voyager_, sleek, a bronze-ish color. The crew could see three large nacelle-like appendages, what looked like three escape pods secured on the outside, and various bits and bolts just…stuck to the outside of the hull. The new ship came simply hung in space, hulking and waiting. The tension on the bridge had risen considerably. She turned to her Vulcan Chief of Security for clarification.

"Tuvok?"

"As I said before Captain, I have never seen a ship like this before."

Harry Kim spoke up. "Captain, I don't even recognize what their hull is made out of." Janeway and Chakotay spun around to face Harry, who shook his head. "Some materials are familiar, some duranium and tritanium, but…there are materials there the sensors can't make head nor tails of."

Janeway turned her attention to the viewscreen. The huge ship loomed over them, but didn't move.

"Have they raised shields? Charged weapons?"

Harry shook his head. "No, ma'am."

"Janeway to Seven of Nine." The former Borg would be down in astrometrics.

"Seven of Nine, here."

"Seven, do you recognize the ship on the viewer?"

Seven shook her head – an illogical reaction, since the Captain couldn't see her. "No, Captain. It is not a ship design ever encountered by the Borg."

She turned to Chakotay, who looked as lost as she felt. He shrugged. "'To discover new life and new civilizations', right?" He was about to say something else when the bridge was suddenly filled with a bright, white light. Everyone had to duck and shield their eyes.

"Report!" Janeway barked, although no one could really open their eyes enough to see their consoles. Tuvok managed to squint enough to check the sensors. "They are scanning us, Captain."

As soon as it started, the light vanished, and Tuvok' console chimed. "Now they are hailing us." The tension on the bridge increased.

Janeway smoothed her hair and tugged her uniform into place. With a glance at her first officer she ordered, "Onscreen."

2019 – Somewhere

Anna slowly opened her eyes. _Am I dead?_ She thought. _I should be dead. But…I'm thinking…cogito ergo sum…if I'm thinking, I'm not dead. _A long pause. _AM I dead?_ She tried to assess her body….everything seemed to be there: feet, hands, head, torso. She tried to move her head around to assess her surroundings, but found she couldn't move much. She should have seen the wreckage of the rented U-Haul, trees, dirt, rocks, etc., but instead she saw gray walls and what looked like medical equipment. _The hospital?_ She thought. _Did someone find me…?_ She tried to sit up and found she was bound to the table by some kind of metal arm. A beeping metal arm, slowly moving back and forth over her torso. She could hear the sound of steady heartbeat coming from the table next to her. She shut her eyes again as her brain tried to rationalize what was happening. _I can hear my heartbeat. I'm in some kind of hospital or clinic. I'm alive._

She heard the clicking of footsteps – four footfalls, two people? – come towards her. _Aha_, she thought. _Maybe the doctor and nurse_. She was half right. It WAS the doctor, albeit a four-footed one.

She heard the footsteps stop next to her bed and she opened her eyes again, and found herself staring into the face of…her worst nightmare. She screamed and squeezed her eyes shut, struggling to free herself from the confines of the medical bed. Waking up to the sight of a giant cockroach-looking creature had been the farthest thing from her mind, and she continued yell and fight her restratints.

Had her doctor had eyebrows he surely would have raised one. His mouth clicked as he programed a hypospray and pressed it to her neck. The human girl calmed immediately and gave him a good look once again. His two front legs – what he assumed humanoids called "arms" – reached over and silenced the monitors and removed the restraint from her head. His wings fluttered slightly as she blinked owlishly at him. She spoke.

"Am….am I dreaming? What the HELL is going on?"

He spoke to her, his mandible clicking as he accentuated his words with his "arms." She stared at him blankly. _Oh._ The doctor thought. _Of course. She can't understand me_. He pulled a device out of the storage unit in the wall. The human was stammering and trying to talk to him as he calmly ignored her and began to program the device for her anatomy.

The infirmary doors whooshed open and the captain walked in. He strode up to the bed with their newest crew member (although she didn't know that yet), looked down at her and noted the fear in her eyes. She was so small and…hairless. He ran a hand through his mane: a habit when he was thinking. She had stopped yelling and was whispering something. He leaned down to hear her more closely.

"What…what is happening…where am I? Am I crazy, I must be crazy…" She was just muttering, looking at him but not really seeing him. He glanced at his doctor.

"K'porak, what did you give her?"

If K'porak could shrug, he would have. "Just something to calm her down. She was screaming in my face." He gave the device a final adjustment. "I belatedly realized she can't understand us. I should have installed her translation device as soon as she was stable." K'porak leaned down to install the small translator by her auditory nerve, giving her anesthesia in the process. She was unconscious immediately. "I think I heard her say something about a 'giant cockroach,' I can only assume she meant me." He glanced at the Captain as he finished connecting the translator to her nerves under her left ear. "You probably look like some kind of big Earth cat to her."

Captain Less smoothed his mane again. "Yes, I resemble an Earth lion." He chuckled. "You don't remember our crash course on Earth creatures?"

K'porak clicked his mandibles rapidly – his way of laughing. "Not really, I was more concerned with the trainings on human anatomy. And I'm glad I did." He stood all the way up and check his monitor. "Alright, by the time she wakes up the translator should be fully bonded and she'll be able to understand us." He gave his captain a sidelong glance. "I'm glad I'M not going to be the one to tell her she'll never see Earth again."

Less sighed. "Not for several hundred of her years. By the time we swing back around it will be completely different. But we had to leave so quickly…" his paw gently brushed a stray hair off her forehead. "She wouldn't have survived that crash if we'd left her. She should be grateful we managed to transport most of her belongings with her." He straightened up and stretched. "Besides, how many humans have a chance to serve on a Repellian ship? She'll be with us for a long time, I'm sure she'll be useful in the long run."

2379 – Delta Quadrant

Janeway didn't know what to expect when they answered the hail, but it surely wasn't to look into the face of a large, lion-like alien. That talked. Only…

What came out of his mouth sounded like growls and gibberish. He spoke for a minute, and then stopped, expecting a response. He _seemed_ like he was friendly, but who could tell? He blinked at her as Janeway said, "what's happening? Is the Universal Translator down?" She glanced between Harry, Tuvok, and Chakotay. Harry was shaking his head. "We've never encountered this species before, the translator is working to get a translation going…" he kept tapping the console. The lion-creature spoke to them again, and this time the translator picked up "Earth," "space," and "oh look, humans."

Janeway decided to answer, just in case. "I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship _Voyager_. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?" The lion-creature turned and seemed to bark a command off screen. Moments later, a young, human woman was thrust forward towards the screen, stumbling, and her face broke out into an astonished grin as she met eyes with the Starfleet captain.

"Wow! Human beings! It's been so long…" She had long brown hair tied in a bun on top of her head, and seemed to be dressed in patched and stained clothing. She raised a hand in greeting and Kathryn noted the thick work gloves on her hands. _She works on their ship?_ She thought as the girl spoke.

"Captain…Janeway, was it? I don't know what the Federation is but I'm glad to see you. My name is Anna O'Hare, and….well it's a long story. But…" The girl – Anna – took a deep breath. "I didn't think there were any humans this far from Earth! I mean, besides me, of course. But I'm a fluke." She smiled. "I'm sorry, I talk a lot when I'm excited." She turned and looked at the lion-creature, who spoke to her while gesturing to the _Voyager_ crew. "Oh, right." She turned back to Janeway and said, "Captain Less thinks it would be best if we met with you aboard your vessel and explained all of this in person, if that's alright."

Kathryn opened her mouth and closed it again. This was a lot to take in. "Give me a moment, Anna." She gestured to Tuvok to mute the hail, and turned to consult her bridge crew. "Thoughts?"

Tom Paris turned around in his seat at the helm. "She seems to genuinely be human. They haven't raised shields or armed weapons…" Harry was nodding his agreement. "From what I can tell, they have the weapons capability to blast us out of the sky, but they haven't shown any aggression."

She looked at Chakotay, who ran a hand through his dark hair. "I don't know." He answered. "If Harry's right and they _could_ have destroyed us by now…" A sigh. "And who is the human woman who's never seen other humans in space before? Where is she from if that' the case?" Kathryn nodded and turned her attention to Tuvok. The Vulcan raised an eyebrow calmly.

"I would exercise caution if I were you, Captain. But her appearance does raise some questions, as well as her being aboard a vessel we have never seen before, filled with creatures whose language we've never heard."

Janeway nodded again. "I agree with all of you, including exercising caution. Let me speak to them again, Tuvok." The console chimed as the hail "unmuted."

"Anna, we will beam you and your Captain to our ship in ten minutes." Anna nodded. "Thank you, Captain." And the screen went blank. Kathryn turned to her crew once more.

"I'll bring them to my ready room. Tuvok, have a security detail meet us in transporter room two. You're with me. Chakotay, you have the bridge," she commanded crisply as she headed into the turbolift with Tuvok on her heels.


	2. Chapter 2: Answers

Chapter 2

Kathryn tried to remain calm and poised, like the Vulcan standing stoically next to her in the transporter room. But she was full of questions, and she had a sinking feeling this whole situation was going to get weirder before it began to make sense.

As if sensing her thoughts, Tuvok looked to her and said, "Captain, it is illogical to worry about things you cannot control." She blew a heavy breath between her lips.

"You're probably right, Tuvok. I'm just anxious to find out the whole story here. I just have a sneaky suspicion I'm going to end up with even more questions that I have right now." And admittedly, the idea of a giant lion-like alien coming aboard – a race that had never been encountered by a Starfleet vessel before – added to the anxiety, and, not for the first time, she was grateful for the security detail out in the corridor.

As if on cue, Ensign Phelps chimed in. "They're ready to beam aboard, Captain." Janeway nodded. "Energize."

The familiar chime of the transporter filled the room as two figures shimmered into existence on the transporter pad. The girl – Anna, Janeway reminded herself, she has a name – smiled immediately as she somewhat cautiously approached the first human she'd seen in over 350 years. The Captain immediately noticed that while her clothes were somewhat threadbare and patched, they also seemed to be quite old-fashioned. Anna shyly stuck out her hand in greeting. "It's been a long time…do you still shake hands?"

Janeway returned her smile and shook her hand. "We do, Anna. Welcome aboard. This is my Chief of Security, Lieutenant Tuvok," she said as Tuvok gave Anna a nod. She cocked her head a little. "You're not human?"

"No, I'm not."

"So you don't shake hands, then?" She said this with a little laugh. Tuvok merely raised an eyebrow in response. The young woman was almost giddy. She suddenly shook her head as she belatedly remembered her captain, who was still standing on the transporter pad, tail swishing a little. "Oh where are my manners, I'm so sorry. Captain Janeway, this is Captain Less, of the Repellian starcruiser _Tajir_."

Less stepped forward then and offered her his huge paw. This time when he spoke the Universal Translator picked up a few more words, but it was mostly unintelligible. Kathryn looked at Anna curiously. "Tell me, it seems that your captain can understand you, but we're having a hard time understanding him…"

Anna sighed and glanced sideways at Less. "Yes, he can understand you. We all have translators bonded to our auditory nerves," and she craned her neck so Janeway and Tuvok could see the slight scar and round lump just under her left ear. "It makes running a motley crew from different planets much easier. But I suppose you do not have such devices…?"

Kathryn shook her head in amazement as she led them toward the corridor. "We do have a Universal Translator, but evidently it's still learning the language of your Captain Less. I'm sure it will pick it up in no time." She looked at them both as the two security officers followed them to the turbolift. "I thought we could go to my ready room – my office – to talk."

Less nodded and growled an assent. Janeway caught the look between the two of them, and saw Anna nodding in response. Body language is a powerful tool, as is learning how to read it. The girl seemed more dejected than she had just a few minute ago, but Janeway was determined to wait until they could sit down over a hot mug of coffee and finally hear how this young woman came to be a crew member aboard a strange alien vessel.

She led their guests across the bridge straight to the ready room, and dismissed Tuvok back to the bridge while simultaneously beckoning Chakotay to follow them. They arrived in the ready room, as Kathryn made introductions between the visitors and her first officer. Kathryn then headed straight to the replicator for another cup of coffee, as the one she'd retrieved earlier had long since cooled.

"Coffee, black." She looked at the two newcomers standing awkwardly in her ready room, as Chakotay had already taken his customary seat. "Can I get you two anything?" Anna grinned. "Oh a real coffee with cream would be incredible."

Kathryn laughed as she asked the replicator for yet another cup of coffee. "I don't know about it being _real_ coffee, but it's as real as you're going to get here." Kathryn handed her the cup and asked Less directly, knowing Anna would translate. "And you, Captain?" This time Less just glanced at Anna, and she said "a cup of herbal tea is fine, Captain Janeway." Janeway managed to keep her curiosity off her face as she ordered the tea. She gestured for them all to sit, and they did, three of them sipping their hot drinks as Chakotay tapped his knees.

"So," Kathryn decided she should broach the subject, no longer able to contain her questions. "Let's start at the beginning. Anna…you said you're from Earth? But you've never seen other humans in space? How can that be?"

Anna was shaking her head softly, the bun on her head bobbing a little. "Well, I mean, in my time we had astronauts, we had the International Space Station. They were even beginning plans for the first manned flight to Mars. But spaceflight faster than light? We were a long time off from that." She sipped her coffee again, as the two Starfleet officers leaned in closer. Anna fiddled with her cup a little, as Less sat stoically beside her with his tea, the very image of calm. "I was born in the year 1992, Captain." Kathryn and Chakotay glanced at each other as the young woman continued. "In the year 2019, I was moving to western Tennessee, driving a big moving van through the mountains. I took a turn too fast, and the van flipped off the side of the cliff. I remember being flung around the inside of the van, then it all went black. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the sickbay of the _Tajir_, to the sight of our medical officer." She looked up and laughed, as Less chuckled beside her. "I thought I was having a nightmare! Our medical officer resembles a cockroach, Captain, except he is nearly six and a half feet tall. He had to give me something to stop my screaming, and that's when he installed my translator. When I awoke again, days later, the _Tajir_ was far from Earth, and in fact, far from our solar system at that point." She took a deep breath, glancing at Less.

"But, that was over 350 years ago. How are you still alive?" Chakotay asked, his brow furrowed. "Were you in stasis?"

Anna shook her head. "No. The Repellian Conglomerate, as their government is known, has incredible technology, the likes of which I'm sure none of you have even dreamed of. Repellian ships….well…I'm no physicist, so I don't fully understand it. But their engines somehow bend space and time around them, so that the ships – and their planets, come to think of it - actually exist in a different time period. Time literally slows down in the ships. To me, it's been about five to six years on board, but in "real" space-time, it's been 350 years, I suppose." She glanced at Less, and continued, staring into her half-full mug. "We had a difficult few weeks after Less explained to me that I would never see my family or friends ever again."

Kathryn watched in amazement as Less' tail came up, took the teacup from his paw, and set it on the table next to him. She hadn't realized the tail was prehensile, like a primate's, although Less looked far more feline than humanoid. Less spoke now, and finally the universal translator was able to pick up some things. "Young One was scared. Did not believe me for a long time."

Anna made a noise at that, somewhere between a sigh and a laugh. "Yes, it was a rough assimilation." Janeway and Chakotay glanced at each other over her choice of words. "It took quite some time. Less' argument was that they had saved my life, and retrieved most of my belongings, just before they had to leave Earth orbit. He said I should have been grateful, rather than angry. It…it took me a long time to trust him, or any of the others on board. The translator helped immensely."

Kathryn realized she'd been correct: she was coming up with more and more questions the more Anna explained. She studied the young woman, who by now had finished her coffee and was fiddling with the empty mug in her hands. Less had heard everything Anna had said and seemed nonplussed. Kathryn decided to address that.

"And you, Captain? You rescued her? How? Why were you near Earth in the first place? How did they not detect you? Correct me if I'm wrong," another sidelong glance at Chakotay, who seemed as confused as she was. "But 21st Century Earth DID have satellites and radar…"

Less set his empty tea cup down and leaned forward a little. "We have a technology that hides the ship. We took a small shuttle down to Earth to survey their mountain ranges and fault lines undetected. While we were surveying a mountain range on the western continent, we saw Young One's vehicle fall down the cliff. Our scans showed she was seriously hurt and we knew help for her would not arrive in time. So we decided to take her aboard and bring her up to our ship in orbit. I knew our ship would have to drop its camouflage to bring the shuttle back, and that when this happened we would have to leave immediately." He shrugged. "This happens every time we go surveying, this method is not new to me. So we had most of her things brought on board as well, and decided she would be our new Earth-crewman." He cocked his head, nonplussed. "This is our way, Captain, Commander."

Chakotay took a deep breath. "Are you telling me, that you visit planets, and survey them, and take one of their inhabitants on board with you?" Anna and Less were nodding.

"Not from every planet, and sometimes just one or more than one, but sometimes…yes, we do. That is our way, Commander," the Repellian captain said. "We had been watching Earth for several hundred of their years. For the last sixty, we'd had to stay hidden. Their launch to the moon was especially tricky, but fascinating to watch from our orbit." His tail swished as he sat back. Anna was just glancing between him and the Starfleet officers.

"I know this still leaves a lot of questions. But that's the basics, Captain. They happened to be in the right place at the right time, and saved my life. Unfortunately, it meant I would never see my family again, and that no one ever truly knew what happened to me, but…I have my life. I don't know why I'm the only one, but…that's when they – we – take people, sometimes. Right before we speed away out of orbit. I asked if we could return to Earth but…the Repellians are quite set in their ways, and Less wouldn't change the flight plan." Less did not have a reaction to this, Janeway noted. Like a giant housecat, he seemed to be mainly unbothered by Anna's recount of what had happened to her.

Anna finally set her coffee mug down. "Captain Janeway, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Anna," the Starfleet captain responded gently.

"When we first spoke over the viewer, you mentioned this is a Federation starship. Obviously a lot has changed in three centuries, but…what IS the Federation?"

Kathryn smiled a little. She was glad to have the opportunity to share some of Earth's history with this young woman. "The United Federation of Planets was founded in the year 2161, and its founding members were Earth, Vulcan, the Andorian Empire, and Tellar. Its capital is in San Francisco. It is an interstellar union of planets that agree to exist semi-autonomously under a single central government. The Federation is based on the principles of universal liberty, rights, and equality, to share knowledge and resources in peaceful cooperation. We share scientific developments, space exploration, and mutual defense."

Anna was nodding. "Sort of like our United Nations. Interesting. So you're Federation military? Explorers?" Now it was Chakotay's turn to speak up.

"Actually we are members of Starfleet. Starfleet is the deep space exploration and defense service under the Federation. Like you said, we're primarily explorers." Anna opened her mouth as though she had another question but Less cut her off.

"Young One, you can speak of this later. You need to ask them," his gravelly voice had an edge of urgency to it. "I need to get back to the ship. The Conglomerate is waiting."

Anna's eyes widened as Janeway prodded, "Anna, ask us what?"

Anna swallowed heavily and said, "Less wants me to ask you if I can come with you. He thinks I need to be back with my own kind before they head back to the Repellian Conglomerate, in the Andromeda Galaxy. If I go with them, I will never see this galaxy again. Their new flight plan has them going a different direction, far from the Milky Way. He is letting me go with you if you'll have me." She looked at him. "The crew of the _Tajir_ has been my family for five or so years, but I _am_ ready to be back with my own kind. Or at least, some of my own kind, I know your whole crew is not human."

Kathryn looked at Chakotay, who shrugged and nodded. "Anna…if you would like to join us, well…yes of course you can. But you should know that we are decades from reaching Earth ourselves."

Anna smiled wanly. "I still have a greater chance of seeing Earth again if I stay with you, and regardless, I would be with those whose cultures I at least mildly understand." She grinned as she looked back at Less. "A giant feline and a giant cockroach have been some of the…tamer….creatures I've encountered, Captain." She raised an eyebrow at Less as he extended and retracted his claws as a playful gesture. "Not to mention having _actual _ coffee again, and not having to guess what I'm eating when we're served meals."

It was Janeway's turn to smile, and Chakotay's as well. "Well, Anna, welcome aboard," Kathryn said as she stood and extended her hand again. Anna took it gratefully as Less nodded his approval.

"Oh, Captain, Commander, thank you so much! I'm quite useful, really, and I'll only need to run over to the _Tajir_ to get my things…"

Less made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a cough. "Young One, as we have been speaking, I had all of your belongings put in the shuttle port so they could be transported aboard this new ship easily."

Anna wilted a little. "Oh." She was silent for a moment, and said, "I would like to say goodbye to the crew, Captain," she told him quietly. He nodded. "Yes, but having your belongings compiled will make the process smoother." He turned to Kathryn Janeway. "Could you beam over her things directly from our shuttle port area?" Janeway nodded.

"Shouldn't be a problem."

Less nodded his approval. "Good. Come, Young One, we will return so you can say farewells." Anna nodded back, her face a mix of emotions: relief, joy, excitement, anxiety, and sorrow.

"Come on," Chakotay said. "I'll walk you back to the transporter room."


	3. Chapter 3: Transitions

2020 (Sort Of): Somewhere, Out There…

Anna blinked against the bright light in her face. She vaguely remembered some nightmare involving a car crash, and a giant cockroach…the side of her neck hurt, just under her left ear. She tried to reach up to touch it but could not: her hands were bound to the table (bed?) she was lying on. _What the hell… _ she wondered. Her memories were foggy. Was the car crash a dream? Or the cockroach? None of it? All of it? If the car crash was a dream then where _was _ she? She blinked again, allowing a little more light in. She groaned.

"Can you turn the damn light _off_?" she growled out to no one in particular.

K'porak hadn't been far away, and he scuttled back into her view. Once again, her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to start screaming – again – when he put his "hands" up. "Listen, human, before you start that again, just hear me out. My name is K'porak, I'm not here to hurt you. In fact, I'm your doctor. So please just….don't. Alright?"

Her mouth was frozen open but she managed to nod. A strangled noise started to come out of her mouth. "W….wh….hrmmp…." He made a gesture the equivalent of crossing his arms. "Yes, yes, I know. You're trying to ask where you are and what's happening and all that, right?" She managed a slow nod again. "Okay. Well, after nearly 230 years of doing this, I've learned the direct approach is best." His antennae twitched.

"You were in an accident on Earth, in those mountains near the east coast of North America. The Appalachians, I think? Anyway, your life signs were failing, so we brought you and all the items in your vehicle aboard. You're now aboard the Repellian starcruiser _Tajir_." He had been leaning towards her so she could understand. "The Captain will be down shortly to speak with you. Your injuries are still healing, so I'm going to keep you in sickbay for at least another day, alright?"

This whole time Anna had only been able to stare at K'porak uncomprehendingly. To be fair, it was a lot to take in all at once. She swallowed, her throat dry, and said, "So, the accident was real?" K'porak relaxed slightly. At least she'd understood him and was speaking. "It was," he affirmed, simply. He tilted his head. "Do you have a name, human?"

Did she? She could barely remember, until just the right neuron fired and she said, "Uh…Anna. Anna O'Hare. From Atlanta, Georgia."

K'porak couldn't really smile, but he wiggled his mandibles at her. "Welcome aboard the _Tajir_, Anna O'Hare from Atlanta, Georgia." He tapped at a panel above her head, out of her line of sight. "Your injuries are healing as expected. You've woken up several times but I expect you don't remember any of that, do you?" She shook her head 'no' slowly, still slack-jawed at the giant insectoid standing over her. He nodded. "Didn't think so. Basically you woke up, saw me, and started screaming. You wouldn't stop, so I kept having to sedate you. Well…actually, the first time, you fainted, _then_ I gave you a sedative so you'd sleep longer."

Anna just kept gaping at him. Her center of reasoning wanted to ask a thousand questions but the part of the brain controlling speech just wasn't having it. Finally, the brain allowed her to ask a simple question.

"I'm not on Earth?"

K'porak did his version of a sigh. "No, Anna O'Hare. You're not." His antennae twitched again. "Actually I'm not really sure where we are at this moment. Bridge doesn't typically tell me anything unless we are fighting or at some new planet." Her slack-jawed expression stayed the same. She was so focused on K'porak and her situation that she hadn't noticed Captain Less enter sickbay until he was looking down at her.

She screamed again. Lions, and cockroaches, and God-knows-whats, oh my!

Less huffed impatiently. "K'porak…" he began, gruffly. K'porak was already back in Anna's line of vision.

"Anna O'Hare! This is the captain I was telling you about. Captain Less. Of our ship. Please don't make me sedate you again." Anna would find out later that all of the sedation was mainly because Less did not have patience for hysterics, especially from tiny, mostly hairless aliens like humans.

Anna took a long, deep breath. "Okay…hello, Captain Less." She wasn't sure what else to say.

He bent down so he was even closer to her face. Pieces of his mane hung down as well, and she could see his gleaming canines and yellow eyes. She swore she heard him purring, but it could have been the hum of the ship. He stared at her like that for about a minute, boring a hole in her head with his eyes, until he finally straightened up.

"Human female…" he began, before K'porak "coughed" and said "Sir, its name is Anna O'Hare."

Now Anna spoke up. "_Her_ name, you mean. And O'Hare is my last name. You can just call me Anna." Less cocked his head a little at that before once again gathering his thoughts.

"Alright…Anna. K'pork has explained to you that we were doing one last survey of a mountain range, saw your accident, and brought you on board?" She nodded. "And that we saved your life _and_ your possessions?" She nodded again.

"Yes, and I'm very grateful, but…"

Less leaned back on his heels a little. "But? But what, human Anna?"

"Can you take me home?"

Less snorted and actually laughed. He thought she was joking. But when he saw her face again, not laughing, not amused, he sighed and swished his long tail.

"There are things you need to know. First thing being that you are now a crewmember of the Repellian starcrusier _Tajir_. That makes you a temporary Repellian citizen, as long as you work aboard this vessel. Secondly, no. I cannot take you home."

She stared at him in outright shock. Fear and anger began to take over her reasoning skills. She struggled against the restraints on the medical bed as she tried to sit up. "_What_ do you _mean_ you can't take me home? This is a spaceship isn't it? Just turn around and drop me off!" Less was already shaking his head.

"Young human, you do not understand. By the time you get back your world will be completely different. Besides, it's not on our flight plan." At this, Less extended his claws and appeared to be examining them, the way someone would after a manicure. Anna wasn't sure if it was an intimidation tactic but she wasn't having it.

"What the HELL are you talking about, you…you…giant kitty cat!"

K'porak tilted his head at that. "Kitty….?"

Less at least understood the implication, if not what the actual word meant. His eyes narrowed. "Listen, human Anna, we do not exist in normal time here. You have been aboard for five of your Earth days, but in reality several months have already passed by on Earth."

She blinked at him, wide-eyed. "Like…the Einsteinian paradox?"

Both Less and K'porak stared at her now. "The what?" the insectoid wondered aloud. He was an exobiologist, not a linguist! Even with the translators, some colloquialisms just didn't come across clearly. The girl, Anna, was becoming more and more distraught. He glanced at Less, to see if he would need to sedate her again. But Less actually looked….compassionate. Less actually relaxed a little, and walked closer to the bed so he was leaning against it.

"Human Anna…I need you to understand me. We will not be going back to Earth for a long time. While you're on our vessel, you will be a member of our crew. This is your only option unless you enjoy flying out of airlocks. I've already had your belongings put in storage, there is not room for everything in your quarters when you are better you may go and retrieve what you need for your living space." Less straightened up and smoothed his mane. "Feel lucky you get to serve with us and that I did not choose to let you die." He turned to walk out of sickbay and head back to the bridge, but stopped when he heard her speak again.

"Captain, why _did_ you save me?"

He turned and looked at her again. "It is our tradition to…extradite at least one member of the predominant species on whatever planet we are studying. You happened to be close by and needed our help. My second officer, Jrrrmir, has a soft spot for humans and insisted we save you. So we did." He shrugged again. "Someone will take you to your quarters once you are ready." And with that he swept out of sickbay and into the hall.

She settled back on the bed, feeling her tears start. She tried to squeeze her eyes shut to stop them but it couldn't be helped, the tears came anyway. Bound to the bed as she was she couldn't even rub her hands into her eyes, or curl into a ball to weep. As it was, she just had to cry lying flat on her back, her sobs racking her body and causing her chest to heave. K'porak stood by helplessly, but he did quietly reach over and undo her wrist restraints. Then she did, finally, curl up, her back facing him, as she cried into the thin mattress on the medical bed. K'porak opted to step away, and leave her to her lonely grief.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

2379 – Delta Quadrant, Repellian starcruiser _Tajir_

Anna looked around the now sparse room that had been her home for around 5 (or 350?) years. Even her bedclothes were gone and packed up. Less had apparently tapped out the order on his wrist while they were walking down the hall to Janeway's office. At least that's what Anna figured. Typical Less: one step ahead of everyone else. She sighed and took a quick look around to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. She was bent down, looking under her bed, when a loud, rumbly voice said, "LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?"

She startled and banged her head on the underside of the bedframe. "Ouch!" she yelled, grabbing at the back of her head. She turned, grinning, into the face of the ship's second officer, Jrrmir. Anna, having trouble with the proper pronunciation, just called him "Jeremy," and Jrrrmir went for it. He was the other giant, furry alien on board, although while Less resembled a male lion, Jrrrmir looked more like….well a Wookie. But…broader. And bigger. But this one spoke actual words, thanks to their translators. Anna walked over to her friend, arms open, and he enveloped her in what was literally a bear (bear-like) hug.

"I think I'll miss you most of all, Jeremy," she muttered into his furry chest. He squeezed her back. "IT'S NEVER THE END UNTIL IT'S THE END. I SHALL MISS YOU AS WELL, ANNA O'HARE." She broke it off and looked up into his furry face and bright black eyes.

"Remember to keep your fur combed. I won't be here to brush your back for you. And keep watching Less and the First's backs. And…" he cut her off with a gesture. If he were human, it would have been just a finger against her lips. However, in this case, it was a paw over her entire face. He laughed.

"ANNA, I HAVE LIVED MANY CYCLES. I KNOW HOW TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF." He blinked solemnly. "BUT I HAVE RARELY HAD A SISTER-FRIEND SUCH AS YOU. YOU ALSO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. NO PRACTICAL JOKES WITH YOUR NEW CREW."

She nodded, looking at her feet. She pulled a data chip out of her pocket, the one marked "Jer-Bear." She'd made one for each member of the crew; a goodbye letter of sorts. Something to remember her by. She handed it over and went in for one last hug as Less' voice came over their communicators.

"_Young One, you have thirty minutes before we depart._" She tapped her wrist, "Aye, Captain. Acknowledged." She needed to get moving, she had many more quick hugs and data chips to hand out. "Alright, Jeremy. You take care, okay?"

Jrrrmir nodded his huge head. "YOU AS WELL, ANNA O'HARE."

She stood there for a minute more, then squared her shoulders, preparing herself for yet another round of goodbyes. It was a big day, saying goodbye to one crew while preparing herself to join a new one. She did not look forward to once _again_ having to get used to a new ship and crew, but she was looking forward to being around humans again. She decided to go to sickbay next, to say goodbye to K'porak, and then make her away around to the rest of the crew.

She began her lonely walk down the corridor, wondering how many more times she'd have to do this in her lifetime.

AN: Not my best work, but I hope to churn out chapters a little faster from here on out.


	4. Chapter 4 - Adaptations

Chapter 4 – Adaptations

2379 – Delta Quadrant, _Tajir _and _USS Voyager_

Anna had managed to give out her goodbyes encoded on data sticks to most of the crew. She was glad it was Less' mandate that _every_ crew member had these "after death" letters made in case something happened to them, although in her case she was simply leaving. She had hugged the crew members who would and could actually hugged her, had touched foreheads with the Ryystik, let K'porak touch her face with his antennae, and saluted the First Officer, Moray, and of course Captain Less.

Less had thoughtfully walked her down to the transporter room, and Anna knew from her internal clock that they were far past the time the _Tajir_ was supposed to have left for home. He dismissed the transporter worker so it was just Less and Anna in the room. She fiddled with her hands, thinking of what to say. Her time aboard ship had been…complicated, tough, and at times terrifying, but it had also been filled with moments of real camaraderie and fellowship. She chalked up the tough times to the fact that it was literally culture shock, that she was the newest crew member by several hundred (thousand?) years, so everyone else was used to the rules and regulations implemented by Captain Less. She was also among the smaller species aboard, and much of the ship had been built for larger species like Less and Jrrrmir.

The Repellian Conglomerate itself was made up of motley species, much like this United Federation of Planets, and like the Federation it had its four main species with scatterings of others throughout. When Less had told her the flight plan had changed, that they were no longer making a long loop around the Milky Way but a direct trip back to the Conglomerate – and the Andromeda Galaxy – she had found herself wondering if she'd ever sleep in a "normal" sized bed, or have real coffee ever again, or even see other human beings again, and decided she'd make the most of it if she had to live in Conglomerate space for the rest of her life. Then, when they'd spotted _Voyager_ on their sensors, and Less had realized it was a mostly human crew, she dared hope once again that she would reach home, whatever home looked like at that point.

She managed to meet his eyes. He was calmly staring at her, leaning back against the console. She was still having a hard time finding words. This creature had in fact saved her life, but was a hard Captain. She balanced it out carefully in her mind, reminding herself that he didn't _have_ to let her go, he could have flown right by without intercepting _Voyager_, he didn't have to give her time to say goodbye. So she decided to take the good over the bad, and extended her right hand to him.

Less had been observing humans long enough to recognize a handshake. He also extended his right paw/hand, enclosing her small hand in his.

Anna looked at him levelly. "Captain, permission to disembark?"

He gave her a slight nod. "Permission granted, little human." He squeezed her hand slightly, then released her. She made her way onto the transporter platform as he tapped the communication control.

"This is Captain Less of the _Tajir_, preparing one to transport."

"_Voyager _here. You may transport when ready."

"Acknowledged," Less rumbled, then cut the communication. He looked up at Anna on the platform. "Your belongings have already been transported to their cargo space. I trust you will take care of yourself?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir. You as well. Take care of this crew." She bowed slightly, her right hand on her left shoulder – a sign of respect to any Repellian commander. "Until we meet again, Captain."

He nodded back and returned the salute – without the bow, as tradition dictated. Next thing she knew the room dissolved around her and she found herself in a brighter, cleaner version of the room she had just left. The Captain, Janeway, was standing there, smiling, along with the first officer she had met earlier. Anna managed to smile back, but her mind was fighting turmoil. She didn't know if she was happy or sad, and decided to be both for a little while.

"Captain, Commander," she said as she stepped down off the transporter pad. "I can't thank you enough, again, for taking me on as a member of the crew." She stood in front of them, a little taller than Janeway but shorter than Chakotay. Up close, Kathryn could see how worn out the girl seemed, and looked like she could do with a shower, clean clothes, and a good night's rest, as much as Kathryn wanted to sit her down and hear her entire story of her time aboard the alien vessel.

"Anna," Kathryn responded warmly. "Commander Chakotay will take you to your quarters. I think you could use a shower and sleep. And tomorrow I will arrange to have you taken on a tour of the ship, and I'm sure you'd like to get your belongings from the cargo bay." Anna nodded, already beginning to feel overwhelmed.

"Yes, Captain, I'd appreciate that," she said wearily. She allowed the Commander to lead her down the hall, as the Captain headed the other direction toward the turbolift. He glanced at her, noting the pensiveness on her face, and commented, "If it helps, I know what it's like needing an adjustment period as being part of a new crew. It's a long story, but seven years ago…"

Anna didn't hear the rest of his sentence, because her head was suddenly filled with a sharp, overpowering pain, and it seemed like burning, white light was shining into her eyes. She grabbed at her head and crumpled to the ground, barely breathing and moaning in pain.

"Anna? Anna?!" Chakotay was trying to turn her over on her back in the hallway, to see what was wrong. He slapped his communicator, "two for emergency transport to Sickbay!" The air shimmered around them as they materialized in Sickbay, Anna still moaning and clutching her head. The Doctor had appeared as they dematerialized, and grabbed a tricorder and hypospray.

"What happened?" he asked Chakotay as he began his scan, and his brow furrowed. "And who is this?"

Chakotay was brushing himself off as he stood. "New crew member from the ship we just encountered. She had just beamed over, and I was walking her to her quarters when she just collapsed."

The Doctor huffed a little as he applied a hypo to her neck. "Her adrenaline and cortisol have spiked far beyond tolerable levels, optic nerve is in overdrive, blood pressure is high…help me get her to a biobed." The hypo had taken effect almost instantly, and Anna had started to relax, her breaths deepening. Captain Janeway swept into the room, arms akimbo as if to ask "what on earth happened?" Chakotay told her what he'd just told the Doctor.

"Maybe the shock of it all?" the Captain suggested. "Did she seem agitated, Commander?" Chakotay shook his head. "Actually she seemed….sad. And subdued. I chalked it up to exhaustion." The three of them peered down at Anna as she slowly opened her eyes.

She decided it was better to look up at three human faces rather than one cockroach, although she _did_ miss K'porak. She squinted in the light. "Wh…" she blinked again and cleared her throat. "What happened? Commander…we were walking…"

He nodded. "And then you collapsed, grabbing your head." She nodded slowly, remembering. "Yes…horrible pain, couldn't see…" her gaze seemed to divert inward for a moment. "Captain…when did the _Tajir_ leave?"

Janeway thought for a minute. "Well, just a few minutes after you beamed aboard…"

Anna nodded again, though she winced at the movement. "Around the time I was walking in the corridor with the Commander?"

"Well….yes, actually."

"I was afraid of that, although I had no idea this would be the effect." Anna managed to sit her up a little more with a helping hand from the Doctor. "I didn't even think about it…"

Kathryn knew, at that minute, that her earlier hypothesis would indeed prove itself to be correct: she would have far more questions than answers for a while. "Anna, do you mind explaining what you're talking about?"

Anna sighed. "My apologies, Captain. You see our translation devices," and with that she pointed again to that bump under her left ear, which the Doctor began scanning more intently. "Well, not every species actually speaks with verbal language, some are telepathic only, and some have languages that are too complicated for mere words, so the translators are more than just that, they actually link a Repellian crew telepathically. This way, we are able to communicate through thoughts _and_ words, and it becomes this cohesive flow in your mind. Actually very useful when you're in the middle of a space battle…you know the Captain's command before he says it. But…" she sighed again, ruefully. "I forgot about the effect when we are separated from each other and the ship, at least by more than a few light years. Once the _Tajir_ got out of range…our telepathic bond broke. Although it was undoubtedly harder for me than for them."

Kathryn was, as always, curious. She sat on the edge of the bed. "Why is that, Anna?"

"Because they have each other to soothe the break in our bond. It's…it's group telepathy, they'll be able to come together and heal faster and with less trauma, if any. Because I was on my own, my brain just went haywire for a minute." She glanced at the still-worried faces around her, even the one frowning behind a humming tricorder. She made as though she was going to get up from the biobed but the Doctor pressed her back down.

"I don't think so, miss. While you're here, let's do a full work up on you, hmm?" He tapped a few controls over the bed as he glanced at his Captain and First Officer. "Would anyone like to fill me in or am I just going to run this one blind?" he deadpanned.

Kathryn smirked a little as she, Chakotay, and Anna relayed the story of their newest crewmember. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her. "So this K'porak was your medical officer? How good was he with human anatomy?" He asked as he kept scanning her.

She shrugged as her eyes followed the tricorder curiously. "Well, good enough, as far as I can tell. He saved my life after the accident, and apparently I had some pretty severe internal injuries." She smiled ruefully. "Digestion hasn't quite ever been the same but honestly I'm not even sure what I was eating half the time aboard the _Tajir_. And I had some minor health issues when I was still on Earth that I've had to just kind of bear with…"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Your psoriasis on your left arm, for example?" She nodded. "That's one, yeah."

"Hmmm…." It was Kathryn's turn to raise her eyebrows. "Doctor…can you take care of these…ailments?" He nodded. "I can, Captain. Consider this further proof that she is indeed not from the 24th Century." He tapped the console in the middle of sickbay, pulling up a screen for Kathryn and Chakotay. He lowered his voice and pulled up a display.

"She has several minor to moderate chronic health issues that simply don't exist in our time. If she were born after the 2230s, she wouldn't have this…" he pointed. "And this would certainly have been taken care of when she was a teenager." He looked at the Captain. "Make no mistake, she is definitely not from our time."

Kathryn's eyebrows raised once again as she glanced at Chakotay. "Wasn't I just saying things were getting a little slow around here?" Chakotay gave her a half smile. "You did, indeed." He straightened up and looked over at their newest crewmember lying on the biobed. "Be careful what you wish for…"

The Doctor had released Anna after just about a full 24 hours in sickbay. She once again stood with Chakotay in the corridor, stretching her arms and back.

"Man. Do you know what it's like to live with a degenerated disc for almost 400 years?" she asked the Commander, who smiled back at her. "I can't imagine it was easy."

She shook her head. "I managed, I mean…K'porak did his best. And I had some over the counter painkillers with me, but those ran out after a few months." She noticed his puzzled expression. "Sorry," she clarified. "Medicine I could get without seeing a doctor." She seemed to turn her focus inward for a moment, then turned her attention back to Chakotay.

"Sorry, Commander. But I'd really like that tour now, if you have time."

He nodded. "I do. And as I was saying yesterday, I have some experience in learning how to acclimate to a new crew. Seven years ago…"


	5. Chapter 5 - New Faces

Chakotay had begun a generalized tour of the ship, sharing the story of the crew as they walked. He decided to start with Astrometrics, where she met Seven of Nine. She had raised an eyebrow at the former Borg drone, who raised one back in response.

"Anna," Chakotay said as he began the introductions, "This is Astrometrics, and this is Seven of Nine. Seven, this is Anna O'Hare, a new crew member we received from the vessel we just encountered." Anna proffered her hand shyly, and a bit curiously, at the imposing blonde woman. Seven cautiously also offered her hand, and clasped Anna's.

"Pleasure," Seven intoned. "You may call me Seven, if you wish." She paused and added, "Welcome aboard. I...I can relate to any struggle you may have in regards to...assimilating to a new crew." Anna had thought her cold at first, but now realized the other young woman was unsure how Anna would respond to her. It was as if she expected Anna to reject her, or be afraid of her. Anna looked at her for a long moment, taking note of her Borg implants, and said, "Seven...are you human?"

Seven straightened up a little. "Yes, although at a young age I was captured and assimilated by the Borg, a cybernetic race whose sole purpose is to make all sentient life like them and to absorb their technology as their own. I was a drone until several years ago, when I was captured by _Voyager_ and the Doctor removed all but my most vital implants."

Anna raised both eyebrows. "Huh," she remarked. "Soooo you're like the Bionic Woman?" Seven blinked at that, glancing at Chakotay. "I do not think that is an accurate description..."

Anna waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind, Seven. Just a pop culture reference from the 1970s." The door whooshed open behind them, and a young man walked in, his eyes widening as he noticed the Commander and the newcomer. Chakotay beckoned the young man over as Anna noticed that he had a similar implant to Seven's, except his was on the bridge of his nose. He had the same manner towards Anna that Seven had had at first: curious and cautious.

"Anna, this is Icheb, another Borg drone that we rescued and rehabilitated. Icheb, this is Anna, our newest crew member who just came aboard yesterday." Icheb dipped his head in greeting, glancing at Seven to see her reaction to the interaction.

Anna hadn't been around humans in quite some time, and so she had lapsed in some of the finer details of...manners. She stared at Icheb's implant intensely, peering at him and standing a little too close, and then staring at Seven's eyebrow, neck and hand. Then she asked, "so...were you a Borg as well?" Icheb stiffened a little, glancing at Seven again. "Yes..." he said falteringly. Anna was still, a little _too_ intently, examining their implants. In fact it seemed that she was having to stop herself from getting right in both of their faces to examine the technology up close. She cocked an eyebrow, and the two former Borg did the same. Seven seemed...indignant, at the intrusion, and Icheb looked confused, still glancing between Seven and Chakotay.

Chakotay took the hint and put his hand on Anna's shoulder gently. "Okay, Anna, time to move on," he said briskly, but airily. "Would you like to see hydroponics?" he asked as he steered her out the door, glancing back at Seven in amusement and giving her a quick wink. Seven gave him back a small half-smile as she turned back to her console.

Chakotay had taken Anna to hydroponics and had then been called to the bridge. He didn't want to just leave her to wander the halls or confine her to quarters (although now she had a communicator, so she could at least call for help if she needed it...and could be located), but decided instead to take her to the Mess Hall, and see if she could handle Neelix for an hour or two. From what little she'd told him about her time aboard the _Tajir_, he expected her to be fine sitting with Neelix for a bit. He walked into the Mess Hall just ahead of her, smiling a little as she noted the larger space and floor-to-ceiling windows and seemed to visibly relax. Anna had told Chakotay that the _Tajir_ mainly consisted of larger species than humans, so maybe the size and layout of the Mess Hall was more relaxing for her.

Chakotay called, "Neelix?" and the Talaxian morale officer immediately appeared from around a corner. "Commander!" he said, jovially. "I was just working on a new recipe, although it's not quite turning out as planned..." he trailed off when he noticed Anna, standing just behind Chakotay's left shoulder. She had seen, and worked with, many different species during her time aboard the alien ship, but new aliens were new aliens, and Neelix noticed her eyes widening as he came into view, and she took in his wild hair, his spots, and his decidedly un-human eyes. Neelix smiled brightly, saying, "well who do we have here?"

Chakotay smiled as well, stepping back slightly and gesturing to Anna. "This is Anna, our newest member of the crew. She came aboard from an alien vessel we happened to meet, and she asked to join us on our way back to the Alpha Quadrant. I'm sure you can relate to that situation." He turned to her. "Anna, this is Neelix, ship's chef and morale officer." Neelix's smile brightened as he reached out and grasped one of her hands with both of his, shaking it vigorously.

"Anna! Good to meet you!" Neelix stepped back, still smiling and looking up at the Commander expectantly. Chakotay cleared his throat, noticing that same curious expression started to creep up on Anna's face. He decided to address her. "Anna, I've been called back to the bridge. I thought I'd leave you with Neelix, here. He's our own Delta Quadrant native, I'm sure you'll have lots to talk about."

Anna seemed to sink a little bit, and Chakotay suspected there were some deeper abandonment issues than she was letting on. But she recovered quickly and nodded to the Commander. As he started to head for the door, she called out, "Commander?" He turned back in surprise as her words came tumbling out: "I...I am a bit anxious to get caught up on Earth's history...that information was not available on the _Tajir_ and I had hoped..." He put his hand up to stop her. "Yes, Anna, we will grant you a computer station where you can start catching up. But it can wait a little while. Ship's counselor's orders." He smiled a little at her, and she nodded once in acquiescence; a little crestfallen, but understanding. Chakotay could tell she was used to being under someone's command but there seemed to be a deeper sadness underneath it all.

As he walked to the turbolift, Chakotay reminded himself that they'd have another 60 years or so to work through it and focused his attention on getting to the bridge.

Anna watched Chakotay leave, then turned to Neelix. He was standing there, simply waiting for her to come and sit. He pulled out a chair for her and she sat, a hint of amusement on her face at the gesture. She sat across from him, studying him, and he just stared back pleasantly.

"So..." she began. "What...uh what race are you? Where are you from?"

Neelix smiled at her. "I'm Talaxian. I was born on Rinax, a moon of our homeworld. I came aboard _Voyager_ eight years ago, and I've been the ship's cook, morale officer, ambassador, and guide through the Delta Quadrant." He clasped his hands and placed them on the table in front of him. "How about you, Anna?"

She relaxed slightly. "Well I was born in Toms River, New Jersey, then we moved to North Carolina, then I moved to Georgia..." she noticed Neelix's perplexed expression and sighed. Hadn't she already learned this lesson on the _Tajir_? "I am from the East Coast of the Northern, Western Continent on Earth. But…I mean I was born in the year 1992, so I'm sure it's entirely different. It might not even be called Georgia anymore."

"Ah! I remember the Captain saying she's from a place called Indiana, is that near where you grew up?"

Anna blinked rapidly. Perhaps some things on Earth _had_ stayed the same. "Near enough," she replied as she leaned forward in her seat. "So...Neelix, you're from this area? So you are a...newcomer to the crew, as I am? And..." she struggled to remember the names. "And Seven and Icheb?"

Neelix nodded encouragingly. "Yes, Anna. All of us came on board after _Voyager_ after they were stranded in the Delta Quadrant. And in fact, Commander Chakotay's crew weren't part of the original crew either. Did he mention that to you?"

Anna nodded. "Yes, he told me about the...the Maquis." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess I'm used to motley crews..." she trailed off and stared into space. Neelix cleared his throat. "Well, are you hungry? We can replicate anything you want."

Anna stood up and followed Neelix to the replicators. "Oh! I didn't even think of this?"

"Think of what?"

She grinned ear to ear. "We had replicators on the _Tajir_, the Repellian ship, but they didn't know how to make human food, specifically, and it took me three years to figure out how to program them to make a decent mac and cheese..." She looked at the replicator in wonder. "I spent all those years on board eating whatever seemed the most palatable. And whatever was 'homemade' in the mess hall...well, I just never really wanted to know what it was."

Neelix grinned back, and spoke to the replicator. "Mac and cheese, please."

Chakotay wasn't sure what to expect when he returned to the mess hall, but it certainly wasn't to find Anna and Neelix deep in a game of 3-D chess. Anna was staring at the platforms intently while Neelix watched her in amusement, a forgotten empty bowl and cup beside her on the table. Chakotay observed from a distance as the rest of Alpha shift came into the mess hall. Most of them knew that _Voyager_ had encountered a strange new alien ship, that they had taken aboard a new crew member (from Earth, of all places!), _and_ that they had miraculously encountered an alien ship without any kind of incident. But they showed a respectful distance as to not overwhelm her.

B'lanna, Tom, and Harry were seated at a table by a window, watching the scene as well. All three had their own opinions on the newcomer.

Harry commented, "Man, it must be so strange for her. To go from living in the 21st Century straight to an alien vessel, and then to us with the possibility of going back to Earth, but centuries later." He cocked a smile at B'lanna and Tom. "I mean it's strange enough for _us_. Imagine what it must have been like to go from pre-warp Earth straight to living on an alien ship."

B'lanna was skeptical. It was in her nature to be, of course, but she couldn't help but wonder if there was more to this girl than met the eye. She sipped her coffee as she remarked, "I just hope she'll be useful and can pull her weight just like everyone else." She glanced at Tom to see his reaction, but her husband had a faraway look on his face. "Tom?" She prodded. "What are you thinking about?"

Tom smiled. "You think she knows anything about combustion engines?"

2019 – Just Outside Atlanta, Georgia; Earth

Linda O'Hare was sitting in her kitchen, staring at the Georgia State Trooper standing in front of her. Her husband, Rob, stood just behind her, his hand on her shoulder, and her son Dan stood leaning on the back of the other kitchen chair. Anna had left to start her new job a week prior, but no one had heard from her since she had crossed the state line into Tennessee. Linda chalked it up to her daughter's excitement and decided to give her a few days to get settled in her new apartment. But after three days Linda and Rob had gotten concerned, and sure enough a call to Anna's new employer yielded the worst kind of news: Anna had never shown up for work.

Dan made a few calls, and once he'd found out Anna had never even made it to the apartment, phone calls were immediately made to the Highway Patrol in both states, asking them to look for a U-Haul towing a Jeep Cherokee. Dan had had half a mind to go drive the winding mountain roads himself until Linda had begged him not to.

"Stay, son. Please. Stay." And so he had, but not without calling every police department and tow truck company he could find on the internet. Now the worst kind of news had found them.

_Missing_.

Linda couldn't understand it. Her baby was _missing_. She was still staring uncomprehendingly at the trooper standing in her kitchen.

"Mr. and Mrs. O'Hare, do you understand what I'm saying?" he asked gently.

Dan straightened abruptly. "Do you seriously mean to tell me that you found a crash site along her route, and found the Jeep, but not the U-Haul? And no blood? And no body? That doesn't make any sense!" Rob still hadn't said anything, but his grip tightened on Linda's shoulder.

The trooper turned his attention to the distraught older brother. "Sir, I can only tell you the facts. The facts are that we found Anna's Jeep off the side of the highway, down the cliff face. There were signs that the U-Haul had also crashed there, but we can't find any sign of it. We saw pieces of it, but only small ones, not the vehicle itself. We have drones out looking. And more importantly, we have no sign of a body. No clothes, no blood."

Linda finally spoke. "Could…could animals have taken her….?"

Dan shuddered as the trooper said, "Ma'am, I won't lie, that is a possibility. But there's no sign of the U-Haul. Even stranger, the towing mechanism from the U-Haul to the Jeep was ripped apart, not unlatched. Like something pulled the U-Haul with even greater force to separate it from the Jeep. But…." Now even the trooper was shaking his head. "We don't really know what that means. But we will keep up the search by chopper and drones, and the Chief said there's a plan to do a search with the search dogs." He took a breath and looked at this stricken family.

Rob still stood behind his wife, still with his hand on her shoulder, staring into space. Linda looked like she'd forgotten how to breathe. Dan started pacing frenetically in the small kitchen space, but finally addressed the officer, who was still standing by respectfully. Rob sighed and finally spoke.

"Officer….what do we do now?"

The trooper took a deep breath, fiddling with the wide brimmed hat in his hands. "Sir, we will keep looking for her, and we will keep hoping we find her." He reached out to shake Rob's hand, and then gently laid a hand on Linda's shoulder, who looked up at him, her reddened eyes meeting his brown ones. The officer stooped down in front of her. "Keep hope alive, ma'am. She may turn up, it's just too early to know." He stood and looked at each family member. "You have my number. Please be in touch if you hear from her, and we'll do the same." He put his hat on, nodded, turned and walked back out to the cruiser.

The three of them sat in silence for another few minutes, and then Dan hurriedly walked into the other room to call his wife and give her the update. Linda looked at Rob, feeling as though it was all a dream.

"Rob…where _is_ she?"

Author's Note: come on, you didn't think a girl from the 21st Century would come aboard without Tom pestering her about his obsession with the 20th Century, did you? ;)


End file.
